fighting terrorism. But after he flew in secrecy for 14 hours, foul weather kept him from a meeting in Kabul to address frayed relations with President Hamid Karzai. Just days later, U.S. Secretary of Defense Robert Gates made a surprise visit to Afghanistan to meet with officials and American troops on the same day British Prime Minister David Cameron was traveling there. U.N. Assistant Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs Catherine Bragg said some 7.4 million Afghans were living with hunger and fear of starvation and one in five children die before the age of five. Afghanistan ranks 155th out of 169 countries on the U.N. Human Development Index and civilian casualties are at their worst levels since 2001 with now 150,000 foreign troops present. An exclusive Channel 4 News investigation has found that the number of war wounded civilians and children falling victim to the fighting has increased dramatically in southern Afghanistan. A nationwide poll by international news outlets showed drops since 2009 in Afghans' confidence in the future of their country and the ability of US and Coalition forces to protect them; they also appear more willing to negotiate with the Taliban. However, in Helmand Province where US Marines have conducted intense counterinsurgency operations, and Kandahar Province, residents said aspects of security and living conditions had improved significantly. Sgt. Robert Stevens pleaded guilty for firing at unarmed Afghan civilians as part of a plea bargain. He was sentenced to 9 months in exchange for testifying against 11 US army soldiers, of who five face murder charges for allegedly killing Afghan civilians at random and keeping bones and skulls as trophies. U.S. President Barack Obama released a strategy assessment of the war that says U.S. troops are making gains, but serious threats remain and there will likely be several more years of U.S. involvement. The review also says that U.S. military operations have disrupted the Pakistan-based al-Qaida terrorist network and halted Taliban momentum in the south, but the Afghan government hasn't proved it can take over cleared areas, nor has Pakistan done enough to eliminate al-Qaida and Taliban havens. Critics said the assessment appeared to be an attempt to postpone decisions on the pace of U.S. troop withdrawals until next year, and with U.S. public support for the war at record lows the president and his aides seemed to emphasize their reduced goals. As 2010 ends, the inauguration of a new